Legend-changing lamp front



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LEGEND CHANGING LAMP FRONT Filed July 27, 1925 April 27, 1926.

Patented Apr. 27, i926.

.UNI-TED STATES- #PATENT OFFICE'.

cnAnnEs E JGODLEY, oF DETROIT, MIQHIGAMASSIGNOE To EDMUNDs a JON'Eacon- I OnATIoN, OE DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION oF NEW YORK.

LEGEND-CHANGING LAMP FRONT.

Application 1ed-Ju1y\27, 1925. Serial No. 46,317.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. GODLEY, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Detroit, vin the county of vWayne and State of Michigan,.have invented a new and Improved Legend-Changing Lamp Front, of

which the followin is a specification.

My invention re ates to Signal lamps of the general 'class designed for displaying a legend when the lamp is lighted. Generally speaking, my invention aims to provide a lamp of this class which will have a given portion of its front display one legend when the lamp is extinguished, and display another legend when-the lamp is lighted, and which will be so constructed that the two legends will not blur or confuse each other.

Automobile manufacturers are frequently4 desirous of having the names of their cars displayed on` the lighted faces of lamps, as for example on combination tail and stop lamps." However, the laws of at least oneA State demand thatno legend other than the intended signal (suc-h as the word Stop") shall be displa ed when the corresponding face portion o the lamp is lighted to give that signal., Moreover, theproviding of a separate space for an additional name or .other legend un'desirably increases the size.

and cost ofsuch'a lamp. y

My present invention aims -to meet these conditions by providing a lamp `front in which the same part of tlig lamp front willy display two different words or other legends interchangeably, according vto whether or -not a lamp bulb within the lamp and behind that part of the lamp front is lighted, and aims to provide a lamp front construction in which neither legend will blur or otherwise interfere with the effect of the other. Still further and more detailed objects will appear from `the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in whichy Fig. 1 is a central, vertical and longitudinal section through a combination tail and stop lamp embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same lamp as it appears when the upper lamp bulb is extinguished. v

Fig. 3 is an enlargement of the upper lefthand portion of Fig. 1. .y

Fig. 4'is a'rear view of the front or cover member of the lamp casing.

In the illustrated embodiment, I am showing a lamp having a forwardly open casing -l which has its frontal opening normally closed by a cover or door. This door or frontal member includes a metal frame 2 providedl with upper and lower perforations, and a glass pane 3 which presents different portions respectively Ibehind these two perforations. The interior of the casing is divided into upper and lower compartments by a partition member 4 which also affords a socket for an upper lamp bulb 5 and carries a separate socket shell 6 for supporting a lower lamp bulb 7. One of the circuit connections to both llamps is made through the metal casing, while another con'- nection is made to the upper lamp through a resilient contact member 8, after the manner shown in my copending application No. 719,916, filed J une 13, 1924, on a combination tail lamp.

The frontal frame 2 also supports a stencil plate 9 which is provided with perforations bordering letters 10 so asto cause the shadows of these letters tobe projected when the upper lamp bulb 5 is lighted, this stencil plate being securedto the metal frame by rivets 11 and being cushioned byI a packing member 12 interposed between the stencil plate and the rear of the glass pane. The

stencil lettersdesirably cover a large portion of the upper opening 13 in the frame 2,

and the part of the glass pane visible through this opening has a second legend 14 formed upon itsfront by sand-blasting,

etching or otherwise roughening the corresponding front face portions of the pane so as to produce a light-refracting effect. However, this sand-blasting or etchingis only effected for a quite shallow depth, namely to such a depth that the increase in translucency due to the thinning of the corresponding glass portions will offset the decrease in translucency due to the roughening-of the front faces of these portions.

When the upper lamp bulb 5 is extinguished, the light-didusing effect due to the roughening ofthe legend .on the front of the glass pane will make this legend visible either in daylight or with light directed against the face of the lamp from the headlight of another vehicle, thereby displaying vthe name or outer legend 14. l When the upper lamp bulb is lighted, the strong illumination of the legend-carrying pane portion behind which this lamp bulb is located Will brightly light the portions of the pane which are not screened by the stencil plate, thus causing the stencil lettering to stand out in bold relief as black letters on the colored background thus illuminated by the lamp bulb. Owing to the said proportioning of the thickness of the rough pane parts to the smooth-faced parts adjacent thereto, the effective translucency of the entire pane portion extending across the upper perforation 13 of the front frame is substantially uniform. f Consequently, the etched or sandblasted legend then becomes invisible, so that this legend will not blur or confuse the stencil or Stop legend when the upper or signal lamp bulb is lighted. Hence I secure the highly desired effect of having the said upper part of the colored glass pane change its signal legend entirely, according to Whether or not the lamp bulb behind this portion of the pane is lighted.

To diffuse the light effectively over this portion of the glass pane, I desirably provide the pane on its rear face with light refracting formations 15, and also desirably make the pane of such a color as Will meet the requirements of the State in which the lamp is to be used. I also desirably provide a reflector 16 behind the lamp bulb 5 for effectively distributing the rearwardly directed rays of light from this bulb over the upper lens portion.

However, While I have illustrated and described my invention in an embodiment suitable for use at the rear of vehicles, I do not Wish to be limited to the employment of my legend-changing arrangement on the faces of vehicle lamps.

Neither do I Wish to` be limited to the details of construction and arrangement here disclosed, it being obvious that many changes might be made Without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a lamp, a source of light, a easing housing the same and having an opening, a translucent member of uniform coloring disposed across the opening and having roughened outer face portions forminga legend visible by refiected light when the source of light is extinguished, the remainder of the outer face portion of the translucent member being smooth; a stencil behind the translucent member for displaying a second legend when the source of light is lighted; the

parts of the translucent member which have the said roughened portions being of such a relatively smaller thickness than the smooth-faced parts of the said member as to compensate for the reduction in translucency by the roughening, thereby rendering the first named legend invisible when the source of light is lighted.

2. In a lamp, a source of light, a casing housing the same and having an opening, a translucent member of uniform coloring disposed across the opening and having roughened outer face portions forming a legend visible by refiected light when the source of light is extinguished, the remainder of the outer face portion of the translucent member being smooth; opaque means associated with the back of the translucent member for displaying a second legend when the source of light is lighted; the parts of the translucent member which have the said roughened portions being of such a relatively smaller thickness than the smooth-faced parts of the said member as to compensate for the reduction in translucency by the roughening, thereby rendering the first named legend invisible when the source of light is lighted.

3. ln a lamp, a lamp bulb, a forwardly open casing housing the same, and a front member closing the opening of the casing and including a pane of clear and uniformly colored glass having its back provided with light-refracting formations; the said pane having roughened front face portions constituting a legend visible by refiected light when the lamp bulb is extinguished, the remainder of the front face being smooth to contrast with the said roughened portions so as to make the said legend visible by reflected light; the front member also including an opaque plate behind and close to the pane and perforated to form a stencil for displaying a second legend when the lamp bulb is lighted; the roughened legendforming pane portions and the stencil perforations being behind each other; and the said roughened pane portions being sufiiciently thinner than the remainder of the pane so as to compensate for the reduction in translucency by the roughening, thereby rendering the first named legend invisible when the lamp bulb is lighted.

Signed at Detroit, Michigan, July 16th,

CHARLES Il. GODLE Y.

llO 

